Madison — Assembly leaders have scheduled a vote for next week on a plan to have the public help pay for a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The planned vote signals leaders have the votes in hand or are confident they can get them by the time they hit the floor July 28. Republicans control the Assembly 63-36, but have said they need as many as 15 Democratic votes to get the measure through.

Momentum has been building for the arena since the GOP-controlled Senate passed the legislation 21-10 last week.

The deal would see the public initially put $250 million toward the arena. That figure would grow to $400 million when accounting for interest over the next 20 years.

The National Basketball Association has given the Bucks until the fall of 2017 to have a new arena in place or face the possibility of having the league buy the team back from owners Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan for $575 million.

About Patrick Marley

Patrick Marley covers state government and state politics. He is the author, with Journal Sentinel reporter Jason Stein, of "More Than They Bargained For: Scott Walker, Unions and the Fight for Wisconsin.”